Day: May 2, 2022

Sip margaritas and support Mexican-owned tequila this Cinco de Mayo

The Banderita Flight cocktail at FRIDA Mexican Restaurant & Bar is made with LALO blanco tequila, a Mexican-owned, Mexican-founded tequila brand. (Photo: LALO Spirits, used with permission.

In the United States, more people consume tequila on Cinco de Mayo than on any other day of the year. LALO (a Mexican-owned tequila brand founded by Don Julio’s grandson) is celebrating the day with specialty cocktails at several bars and restaurants throughout San Antonio on Thursday. (LALO Spirits, 2022)

On Thursday, May 5, FRIDA Mexican Restaurant & Bar (18740 Stone Oak Pkwy, San Antonio, TX 78258) will serve a Banderita Flight — three mini cocktails made with LALO blanco tequila and served in shades of green, white, and red to represent the Mexican flag. Flavors include a melon-lime margarita with citrus salt, ranch water with sea salt, and a strawberry hibiscus margarita with a tajin rim.

Screaming Goat Yard & Tap (4 Sun Valley Dr, Spring Branch, TX 78070) will be featuring LALO Ranch Waters, Palomas, and Perfect Margaritas. There will also be a LALO rep on site pouring taste of the popular blanco tequila from 6p.m. to 8p.m.

All three locations of La Fogata are featuring four special cocktails made with LALO throughout the month of May.

Fresca Margarita – LALO Blanco, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, Sweet n’ sour, Fresh lime

Chispa Margarita – LALO Blanco, Triple sec, Fresh lime juice

Paloma – LALO Blanco, Fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, topped with sparkling mineral water

Ranch Water – LALO Blanco, fresh lime juice, top with sparkling mineral water over ice with salted rim

Ácenar on the Riverwalk (146 E. Houston St. San Antonio, Texas 78205) will serve a special cocktail called La Flaca, a skinny margarita made with LALO.

LALO is available for purchase at liquor stores, bars, and restaurants throughout San Antonio. It is also available online with direct shipping.

LALO is named after co-founder and maestro tequilero Eduardo “Lalo” Gonzalez, the grandson of Don Julio González of the iconic Don Julio tequila brand. Lalo continues the legacy of his father and grandfather with a bold new approach to perfecting blanco tequila. After nearly a decade in the industry seeing tequila follow many different trends, he and founding partner David R. Carballido sought to return tequila to its honest roots with a truly pure blanco tequila, without barrels or additives.

Each batch of LALO is 100% pure. It is made with wisdom passed down through generations of tequileros using the finest agave, handpicked from the Jalisco Highlands, cooked using a traditional process, and distilled only twice to maintain the agave’s integrity. The sole ingredients are fully-matured agave, a proprietary Champagne yeast, and deep well water, honoring the complex essence of the agave. 

What began as a small, private batch for friends and family in Guadalajara turned into a tequila high in demand for its taste and purity. LALO is not intended as a special occasion tequila, it is intended to make any occasion special.

 

Celebrate Mother’s Day at JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa

Celebrate Mother’s Day at JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa with Brunch, Bluebonnets, and more. Photo: JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa, used with permission.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate mom than with a Texas Hill Country brunch at the stunning, 13,000-acre JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa in Sonora Texas? (JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa, 2022)

Families can treat mom to a delectable brunch on The Ranch on Sunday, May 8, with two exclusive seating options at 11:30a.m. and 1:30p.m. (locals and day visitors can book, too!). For $39.95 and $19.95 for children, guests will be treated by JL Bar’s expert culinary team with a special menu of signatures dishes including Balsamic Glazed Grilled Steak, Honey Garlic Glazed Pork Loin, Roasted Heirloom Carrots and Asparagus, and Chocolate Covered Strawberries. There will also be two action stations for guests to enjoy – a full Seafood Bar and Chef Attended Savory Crepe Station.

For those staying for the weekend, there is an activity for every type of mom. From a full equestrian program featuring horseback riding and a horse psychology experience to off-road ATV adventures, a Putting/Chipping Green, spa treatments, wine tasting, and clay and skeet shooting, families can make new memories at JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa. Additionally, for those moms following the annual Bluebonnet blooms in the stunning Texas Hill Country, JL Bar’s grounds also offer rolling acres of oak trees and wild grasses to spot local wildlife and bluebonnets in their prime.

Celebrate Mother’s Day with these San Antonio favorites

Bakery Lorraine’s fruit tart. Photo: Bakery Lorraine, used with permission.

With Mother’s Day coming up on May 8, do not miss a chance to surprise and delight Mom this year with unique flavors and specials from favorite spots in San Antonio. Local businesses are offering several ways to help celebrate moms through delicious desserts, gorgeous bouquets and some much needed Spa treatments. See below for ways to celebrate Mother’s day with Bakery Lorraine and Hotel Contessa. (Bakery Lorraine, Hotel Contessa, 2022)

This Mother’s Day Bakery Lorraine will offer several specials that are sure to capture mom’s heart. From flower boxes to rose scented desserts, Bakery Lorraine and their partner, Emma Lily Flowers, are sure to have the perfect gift for Mom. 

  • The Flower Box: The Flower Box includes an assortment of six Parisian macarons that include raspberry, pistachio, and triple vanilla ($35) and is decorated with fresh flowers. There are no substitutions for this package.
  • The Petite Bouquet: The Petite Bouquet is a fresh bouquet of flowers and includes twelve macarons, including raspberry, pistachio, blueberry violet, and triple vanilla flavors ($60). There are no substitutions for this package.
  • Quiches: Treat mom to a special breakfast in bed with Bakery Lorraine’s savory quiches. Quiche options include the traditional Quiche Lorraine filled with bacon, gruyere, and caramelized onions and the Veggie Quiche which includes leeks, Swiss chard, and gruyere. The large quiche is available for $40, serves up to eight people and is packed cold for a quick reheat at home for only 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees in the oven.
  • Special Desserts: For moms with a sweet tooth, shoppers can gift Bakery Lorraine’s special desserts. Their large fruit tart ($32) is filled with a creamy vanilla mascarpone and topped with fresh fruit. Fruit varies based on season and availability. Add a flower scent effect to the gift of dessert with Japonaise, a rose scented vanilla cream swirled with raspberry jam in between two macaron shells with fresh raspberries. Give mom a literal heart with Bakery Lorraine’s Strawberry Pop Hearts, a grownup version of the classic pop-tart treat shaped into a heart, or Heart Shaped Moon Pies, rich chocolate shortbreads with honey marshmallow and dipped in white coating chocolate. 

Please note that the flower boxes and bouquet packages are limited and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. The last day to place an order will be Wednesday, May 4, by 12p.m. Order pickups will be available Saturday May 7 or Sunday May 8 between 9a.m. to 5p.m. at all locations.

The newly renovated Spa at Hotel Contessa, located at the rooftop level of the hotel, is offering luxurious deals to take advantage of this Mother’s Day for some much welcomed pampering. 

Always on the Go Mom Package

  • $90.00 (gratuity included)
  • 30 min Reflexology (applies different amounts of pressure to the feet, which has shown to help reduce stress, anxiety, pain and improve the general well-being)
  • Scalp Massage
  • Glass of Champagne 

Pamper Mom Package 

  • $200.00 (gratuity included)
  • 50 min Custom Facial OR Massage
  • Lavender Scalp Massage
  • Aromatic Steam Towel Treatment
  • Glass of Champagne 

Super Mom Package

  • $500.00 (gratuity included)
  • 50 min Custom Massage
  • 50 min Custom Facial
  • Complimentary enhancement included
  • Glass of Champagne and Individual Cheese Board tray following service

Guests can purchase the above packages by calling the spa at 210-298-8038 between now and end of day on Sunday, May 8.

While enjoying spa services at the hotel, some added perks include the spa’s various jewelry pop-ups from local and regional designers. The unique jewelry designs are sure to catch Mom’s eye for a complete Mother’s Day experience to have her feeling special. Select skincare products can also be purchased for a chance to turn any home bathroom into a hotel spa.

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New book release: ‘Dream Town: An Archer Novel’ by David Baldacci

‘Dream Town’ is David Baldacci’s new novel in the Archer series. Photo: amazon

David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. In his new book “Dream Town: An Archer Novel,” the third in the Archer series, private investigator and World War II veteran Aloysius Archer heads to Los Angeles, the city where dreams are made and shattered, and is ensnared in a lethal case. (amazon, 2022)

“Dream Town”– It is the eve of 1953, and Aloysius Archer is in Los Angeles to ring in the New Year with an old friend, aspiring actress Liberty Callahan, when their evening is interrupted by an acquaintance of Callahan’s: Eleanor Lamb, a screenwriter in dire straits. After a series of increasingly chilling events—mysterious phone calls, the same blue car loitering outside her house, and a bloody knife left in her sink—Eleanor fears that her life is in danger, and she wants to hire Archer to look into the matter. Archer suspects that Eleanor knows more than she is saying, but before he can officially take on her case, a dead body turns up inside of Eleanor’s home and Eleanor herself disappears.

Missing client or not, Archer is dead set on finding both the murderer and Eleanor. With the help of Callahan and his partner Willie Dash, he launches an investigation that will take him from mob-ridden Las Vegas to the glamorous world of Hollywood to the darkest corners of Los Angeles—a city in which beautiful faces are attached to cutthroat schemers, where the cops can be more corrupt than the criminals and where the powerful people responsible for his client’s disappearance will kill without a moment’s hesitation if they catch Archer on their trail.